Work-life balance and part-time work

Newcomers commonly report that work in the Netherlands takes up less of life than they are used to:

• Part-time is normal. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) counted 9.8 million people in paid work in the second quarter of 2026, of whom about 4.8 million worked fewer than 35 hours a week, almost half.
• Shorter "full-time". IN Amsterdam explains that full-time contracts are usually between 36 and 40 hours a week, with 38 hours common, and that very long working hours and overtime are uncommon.
• Time off is respected. According to IN Amsterdam, you are generally not expected to be available outside working hours or at weekends, and working hours can often be discussed when you are hired or when your personal situation changes.
• Most people work office hours. CBS reports that in 2024, 29 percent of working people never worked in the evening, at night or at weekends, and 9 percent mostly or always worked on Sundays.

The I amsterdam newcomer guide describes a "healthy respect for the value of free time": people make space for friends, family and community. One international resident quoted by I amsterdam put it as "people work less and live more".

Several factors sit behind this:

• Working hours are often negotiable. Part-time work is common in many sectors and at many levels, and it is usual to agree a number of hours per week in your contract rather than a fixed five-day week.
• Changing patterns in families. CBS figures for 2025 show more people choosing a large part-time job of 28 to 35 hours, especially parents. Among women aged 25 to 65 in a couple with children, 31 percent worked 28 to 35 hours a week; among men aged 25 to 65, 81 percent worked full-time and 13 percent of fathers in a couple worked 28 to 35 hours.
• Statutory holiday. Every employee is entitled to paid holiday of at least four times their weekly working hours per year, for example 160 hours for a 40-hour week, according to the government. Many collective agreements (CAOs) give more.
• Clear boundaries. IN Amsterdam describes work and personal time as strictly separated, with getting the job done valued more than the number of hours spent at your desk.

Part-time work affects your income, pension build-up and some benefits, so it is a financial decision as well as a lifestyle one.

• Gender and life stage. Part-time work is much more common among women than men: in the third quarter of 2025, 35 percent of women worked full-time, against 81 percent of men aged 25 to 65 (CBS). Patterns are shifting, with more men and women, especially parents, in large part-time jobs.
• Sector and job. Not everyone works office hours: CBS found that almost a quarter of working people (23 percent) still worked mostly or always in the evening, at night or at weekends in 2024. Shift work is normal in care, transport, hospitality and retail.
• Your own contract. The national picture says little about a specific employer. Hours, overtime rules and extra leave depend on your contract and the collective agreement (CAO) that applies.
• Self-employed people set their own hours and arrange their own holidays and pension, so the employee protections above do not apply to them.